Sponsored by Zappos

If 2020 had gone according to my original end-of-2019 plan, I’d be in the final stretches of training for the NYC Marathon. I spent a year getting into the race and was planning to run it early this November. I held on to hope until the very last second, but to maintain the safety of everyone involved, the race was cancelled. There are some options to do it virtually, but it’s the kind of race that means so much more in real life. While it was tough to realize that a race I’d looked forward to wouldn’t happen quite as I planned, I realized that this left a beautiful opportunity for me to do something different. Just because I can’t run in this major marathon doesn’t mean all of my training goes to waste. If this year has taught me nothing else, it’s that there’s always a safe and creative way to do the things you love, perhaps even in awesome new ways.

I shared in a previous blog post that it’s been a challenge to get back into running after finally settling into my new home space, but I was surprised to find that there are actually SO many amazing virtual race options available this year.  Ordinarily, I wouldn’t be as excited about a virtual race, but I shifted my perspective to think about how many doors this opens as the borders between cities, states and even countries disappear through technology. I got excited as I was reading through the list and was reminded of just how important running is for me especially during this year. I decided to sign up for the Flying Pig 10K because it’s always been my favorite distance to run– and when else will I get the opportunity to run a major Ohio race anywhere I want?

When I reflect on where I was a few months ago, I think back to how great my sanity miles felt, and with the temperatures cooling down, now seemed like the right time to dive back in. As I shared in my last post about getting back into things, I went online and purchased the entry/medal and finisher shirt for the race. Something about putting a date and some investment behind it, always gets me going. It’s helpful for me to have something to work toward, and I’m so excited about getting to plan my own course and run on my own time (I got up at 5am for the last race I did in real life). It’s also exciting that I’ll be able to virtually run with friends including ones that have kept me going through this year with their running inspo and encouragement.

I was running sanity miles when we first entered quarantine to practice self-care and explore new spaces which was such a key part of how I processed all the unforeseen change this year has brought. It’s incredible to have the chance to run this race as a way of reminding myself and others that there is beauty amongst all the challenges.

Now, we’re three weeks out and I’m training for a race that I never thought I’d be running. Getting back into it even with a set race date hasn’t been easy, but I’ve been taking the time to use running as a form of self-care. I’m running a few times a week, training hills, speed and focusing on cross training as well. This is a distance I’m comfortable with, but want to make sure my body is ready to go. I’m not only training physically, but also training my mind. It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers, but at the end of the day, for most people, racing is about the energy, the fun, and excitement of challenging your body in a new way. I’m not training to run my fastest race ever, but I’m training to enjoy the race and celebrate the joys of this year.

As I prep for my race, I’ve been thinking more and more about my outfit. This was one of my favorite parts of preparing for races once the hard work of training has been done. I’ve tested out a ton of shoes this summer but something about this animal print makes me feel super-fast. I’ve done a lot of my recent training runs in the Brooks Glycerin 18 from Zappos and I’m loving them. I think for this distance, these may be the race-day winners. I’m really on an animal print kick lately! I also had no idea Brooks made apparel as well, these Brooks Greenlight tights are the perfect staple black running tight.